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| Empowering Panchayat: Youth Congress hoodwinking people | | Hollow Threat | | Neha
jammu, Aug 8: The devolution of powers of the 14 Government departments as announced by the State Government to the Panchayats is just an eye-wash aimed at hoodwinking the common masses. The Congress has been demanding implementation of the 73rd and 74th Amendments in the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act. The State Government is not serious in implementing these amendments. As such we are giving a timeframe of one week to the Government to implement the amendments. If they do it well and good, otherwise we would come on streets and raise agitation. From August 9 the Youth Congress activists would submit memorandum to the Deputy Commissioners across the State impressing upon them to speed up the process of implementing the amendments in the State Panchayati Raj Act. The time has come when the State Government should implement the amendments so that Panchayati Raj flourishes in the State like the other parts of the country. A delegate session of the party was held in May this year and a resolution regarding implementation of the 73rd and 74th Amendments in State Panchayati Raj Act was passed. Despite the passing of the resolution in the delegate session, there has been no headway in implementing the amendments in the State Panchayati Raj Act. Section 45 (3) of the Panchayati Raj Act of Jammu and Kashmir envisages nominated chairmen of District Development Boards and Section 4 (3) stipulates provision of nominated members in Panchayats thereby keeping the Panchayats subservient to bureaucratic sweet will. Provision of social audit through Gram Sabhas is also missing in State".
Who said so and when and where? Chetan Pratap Singh, Secretary, Indian Youth Congress and in-charge Jammu and Kashmir, said so yesterday at Srinagar while talking to media persons and asserted that "we have the backing of central leadership and it would be ensured that amendments in the State Panchayati Raj Act are made". Did he not fool himself and hoodwink the people by saying what he said? Of course, he did fool himself and hoodwink the people, particularly the elected Panches and Sarpanches who have been seeking empowerment ever since their election and threatening that they would resign en masse in case they are not empowered, but without evoking any response whatever.
And, by the way whom Chetan Singh threatened that the Pradesh Youth Congress (PYC) would launch a Statewide agitation in case their demand seeking empowerment for panchayats is not conceded within a week? Did he threat a Government of which the Congress is a part and what did he want to convey by administering a hollow threat - threat that cannot be converted into a reality? Did he not know that the JKPCC president Saif-u-din-Soz, who is chairman of the Congress-NC coordination committee, had on more than one occasion appealed to his own Government to do the needful so that the elected panchayats are empowered with a view to enabling them to tackle the immediate local problems? And, did he not know that the concerned Minister in the Government, Ali Mohammad Sagar, who belongs to the National Conference, had repeatedly rejected out-of-hand all the passionate pleas made by the JKPCC president saying that "we have our own Panchayati Raj Act" and that the "panchayats already stood adequately empowered". And, did he not know that there are many Cabinet Ministers belonging to the Congress, who, like the NC Ministers, are actually opposed to the idea of the panchayats getting more powers? And, what did he try to convey when he said that "from August 9 the Youth Congress activists would submit memorandum to the Deputy Commissioners across the State impressing upon them to speed up the process of implementing the amendments in the State Panchayati Raj Act"? Does he not know that the Deputy Commissioners cannot do anything in the absence of the relevant laws? And, does he not know that the Congress high command is at the back and call of the NC and that the duty of the Congress is only to endorse what the NC does and says to respect the coalition dharma?
It appears that the local Youth Congress leadership had not informed Chetan Singh about what the JKPCC president had done in this regard for almost 18 months and the kind of response his pleas had evoked from the concerned Minister. Or, it can be said that Chetan Singh is in the habit of administering hollow threats. One thing is clear: He knows nothing about Jammu and Kashmir. |
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